The present invention relates to article displaying and, more particularly, to shelf-supporting devices.
Bracket supported shelves are a convenient method of storing and/or displaying items such as merchandise, books, and the like. In most of such storage and/or display set-ups, a plurality of vertically aligned brackets are generally supported by a plurality of horizontally spaced standards which are generally attached to a wall in a vertical orientation. These brackets then support the shelves in the desired positions.
Those who display and/or store items, such as merchandise, books, and the like, on shelves in such set-ups often find it necessary or desirable to alter an existing set-up. This alteration often involves adding new shelves, changing the wall arrangement by adding or removing some of the panels forming the wall, removing shelves, adding or removing standards, or the like. The display set-up is altered to change its appearance, create new floor space, accommodate new items, or the like.
Heretofore, display set-up alteration has been difficult because of the difficulty in moving panels or shelves from their existing positions. This difficulty often requires extensive carpentry work and arises because the panels and wall attached standards used to support the shelf brackets are attached together in a manner which renders it difficult to alter the existing display unit set-up. Often this connection of panels is essentially permanent wherein panels are connected together and the standards are affixed to those connected panels. Furthermore, the connections between the panels, and between the panels and the standards are often in inaccessible locations thus further imparing the alteration process.
Almost all of the known bracket supporting standards are attached to an already assembled wall; i.e., a wall that has the panels thereof connected together in an essentially permanent manner.
However, there are some standards that serve a dual function of supporting brackets and connecting wall panels together. However, these standards are difficult to assemble and, once assembled, are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to disassemble. Furthermore, these panel connecting standards are attached to the panels in a manner such that there is no latitude as to where the panels can be connected to the standard. Thus, a particular standard can only be used with certain panels, and there is no room for variation in display height or configuration. A further drawback to known standards arises because they are not capable of connecting together two panels which are at right angles to each other, i.e., a corner-forming connection. Still another drawback to the known standards arises because they can only be oriented one way. That is, they cannot be inverted, tilted, or the like, to accommodate unique display set-ups.